Ritual Baths & Sea Salts
January 2, 2009 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
The Roman Baths in Bath, England
As many of you know, I am a big proponent of taking a little time for yourself to decompress and to heal. As a spa owner, I frequent my own spa to attain much needed escape from my daily routine. One thing that I do for myself at home is take a bath with hydrotherapy jets at least once a week if not more frequently. I have some sea salts that I bought but ideally I try to sneak into my spa and mix Epsom salts with Dead Sea salts along with various other Chinese herbs to help my skin, muscles, and nervous system.
For time immemorial, hot baths and springs have served as a vehicle for healing and renewal. I remember fondly the time that I spent in the natural onsen (Japanese hot springs) outside of Tokyo. German studies have shown that high magnesium content found in the Dead Sea can help enhance one’s skin barrier and also reduce skin inflammation. Other studies have shown improvement in psoriasis as well as helping deepen one’s sleep. Minerals are absorbed during bathing that can lead to increased blood circulation to aid in minimizing different types of arthritic conditions. Skin aging can be improved with some studies showing a 40% reduction in wrinking. Certain acne conditions can be ameliorated as well. Bromides and magnesium can serve to control allergies and detoxify and cleanse the skin. Epsom salts, which have been widely studied, have been shown to heal a damaged muscular and nervous system. I always try to mix some Epsom salts in with my Dead Sea salts after a hard day or after a massage session. Bath salts can also minimize the pruning effect otherwise typically observed following prolonged water immersion because it maintains a better osmotic pressure gradient across the skin. Phosphates can help to soften calloused skin and to aid in exfoliation. These salts can also act to enhance the effect of soaps to clean one’s skin.
All in all, even if these touted benefits do not hold 100% true, the ritualistic bath can serve as a much needed time to heal one’s mind and soul as well as one’s body. I use it as a time not to think of anything or at times to enter a quiet time of deep reflection. I truly enjoy my bath time even without the rubber duckie.
Giving Up Coke
October 17, 2008 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
I have heard a lot of reports out there that various diet sodas can actually increase your weight and also be truly unhealthy for you. As part of my EO (entrepreneur organization)’s monthly goals, i established this month that i would minimize my consumption of Diet Coke as much as possible.
It is amazing how tastes change if you want them to. I LOVE DIET COKE. I thought that one thing in the world that I could never give up would be diet coke. I would rather die. I actually like it more than regular coke. However, I have now been drinking unsweetened iced espresso in the morning, unsweetened ice tea for lunch, and sparkling water (with at times a little cranberry juice) for dinner. Listen, I still need my caffeine.
Now if there is no other option at the dining establishment, I will have some Diet Coke. I am not a monk about it. What is fascinating to me is how we can easily adapt our tastes. If I sat there forcing down unsweetened tea or coffee and going “Yuck!” every day, the habit would not stick. However, I LIKE IT NOW! That is really weird for me to even say.
I remember about 20 years ago when I was traveling in Europe, there was NO Diet Coke. At the time, they only had regular Coke so that was all I drank (Now, they have Diet Coke but they call it Coca Cola Light). By the time I got back stateside, the taste of Diet Coke made me sick. I loved only regular Coke. It is astounding how our taste buds can easily change. That is why if you guys are adventurous, feed your kids something that they might not otherwise eat. I have found that parents who are not adventurous in their palate pass those limitations on to their children. Okay, that is another blog. Sorry to offend.
I have heard it say that it takes 21 days to break a habit or to establish one. I think ultimately if you hate it, nothing will stick. Somehow, my taste buds now prefer unsweetened tea and coffee. Weird.
Embracing the Orient
October 8, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Reflexology Foot Chart
As a western trained physician who is very methodical in his scientific thinking, I have always been skeptical of “Oriental medicine”. Now that I have opened a spa that focuses on marrying the best from the East and the West, I have gradually loosened my narrow grip on my perceived reality. I have tried in the past to view my wellness concept to be broader than what we know in the West. However, naturopathic doctors and holistic doctors shun coming anywhere near an Occidental physician and vice versa. Fortunately, I was able to find the best of both worlds by having western-trained M.D.s who embrace naturopathic components in my anti-aging and vitality center.
As part of my weekly spa ritual, I really have been exploring the best of what the East has to offer. The thing that I really love now is reflexology. The idea of reflexology for the uninitiate is using pressure points on the foot to relieve bodily ailments that corresponds to nerves that are across the foot. Whenever I get a certain area touched that hurts on my foot, I start to realize how accurate the correlation is to the body part that aches for me. If anything, I get a great foot massage in the process! Even when I was in a hurry at the airport, I got a reflexology treatment over my standard shoulder and hand massage (which is part of reflexology too since the hands and ears can represent part of the body as well.)
I think it could be dangerous to substitute reflexology for treating serious medical conditions but I think it is a great stress reliever and I do believe that it is helping me balance out parts of my body that are not in alignment. I also tried a Shirodhara treatment which is part of Ayurvedic therapy in my spa, which involves dripping oil in different patterns across your forehead to open your “third eye”. Although I don’t know if the touted medicinal values can be of certain benefit to you, I do enjoy the treatment as a relaxing part of a spa experience. Okay, so I don’t believe everything just yet.